Bear's Den 18th Annual Fly Fishing Expo

Thank you to all the friends who set up booths, and all the customers who came to visit. Our 18th annual show was a huge success thanks to all of YOU!!

As promised, we will post the winning raffle numbers ARE POSTED!! Can you believe there is over $10,000 worth of gear we are giving away!!!

Congratulations to our winners!!

Sci Anglers Grand SlamTHANKS!!

Rhoddy Fly Rodders bookTHANKS!!

Orvis ReelTHANKS!!

Cortland Liquid CrystalTHANKS!!

Mike Brucato FliesTHANKS!!

Echo ShirtTHANKS!!

3Tand Tarpon TTHANKS!!

Cortland IndicatorJim S

LinekurvTHANKS!!

Cortland SaltSean B

Sage HatPeter N

Royal Wulff FreshwaterSean B

Spirit River Fresh AsstMike C

Simms Waypoints HipHideaki S

Sci Anglers MPXMark H

Morning Star LanyardRorie M

Rio StriperBob D

Mike Brucato FliesDick T

Dr Slick ToolsCharlie F

Rio HatCharlie F

Fly Casting BookCharlie F

Umpqua SlingJeff S

Simms Waypoints SlingBrian G

Mike Brucato FliesDick H

Mike Brucato FliesDick H

VedaVoo SlingTom M

Mystic ReaperTodd C

Spirit River Salt AsstGlen N

Sage HatHarry B

Harrison BrothersDonald W

Loomis ShortStickBob D

Abel NipperJohn L

Rio GrandJohn L

Royal Wulff BermudaJohn T

Mike Brucato FliesMike C

HMH Line TenderTom M

Wingo Striper BeltScott W

Scott Shirt n KoozieScott W

Jerry Kustich BooksMike M

Cortland SylkBob W

Royal Wulff Salt IPete M

Redington BehemothPete M

3Tand PliersPete M

TFO BVK RodRob C

Cortland FinesseBob W

Sci Sonar Triple DWalter B

Abel Zingerclaimed

Cyclone Buffclaimed

Smith DoverKevin M

Wingo Trout BeltRon B

Rio hatBob R

Fishpond SummitPeter N

Frog Hair/AirlockJohn F

Mike Brucato FliesJohn F

Cortland TroutJohn F

Armand Book/FlyJohn F

Redington ZeroJohn F

Daylight LampKirk O

Scott Hat/ShirtKirk O

3Tand TF-70Jason R

Mud Dog FliesTerry T

Cortland TropiBill K

Cortland SylkKevin M

Airflo StriperDavid P

Costa GlassesMike P

Diamondback CloutWayne P

Nautilus FWXWayne P

Douglas Upstream RodArmand C

Echo Glass RodMike C

T&T NSII RodBob S

Orvis ReconBob S

Hardy CA DDRyan R

Fly Fish the DeerfieldRon B

Hatch FinaticBonefish Dick

Maine River GuidesVal

ANDY MILL HEADLINES

Andy Mill’s plethora career has had deep traction as an athlete, broadcaster, angler and author.An elite alpine downhill ski racer, Mill was the best in the United States in that event from 1974 to 1981. For his 1976 Olympic heroics, where Mill placed sixth while skiing on a severely injured ankle, he was given the Olympic skiing award; in 1993 he was inducted into the Colorado ski Hall of Fame. Mill enjoyed a 20 year broadcasting career, covering two Olympics and hundreds of network specials, including 81 fishing shows from around the world.
Personally, Mill holds his fishing accomplishments closest to his heart. His success is profound, winning more invitational fly tarpon tournaments than anyone and he is the only angler to have won a tarpon, bonefish and permit tournament on the fly. In conjunction with his award winning book “A Passion for Tarpon”, he has found himself as one of our sports leading authorities. Hailing from Aspen Colorado and Boca Raton Florida the Bears Den is proud to welcome Andy Mill as the Featured Speaker for our 18th annual Fly Show.

Douglas Rods

David Nelson

Robert Lewis - Rob's Realistics

Rich Strolis

Armand Courchaine

Masahito Sato

Northern RI TU

3-TAND Reels

Patagonia

Dave Souza

New England Fly Tyers

Hardy

Rich Connors - Twin Lakes Flies

Leon Piasecki

Orvis

Cortland

Cast90.com

Sheila & Bill Hassan

Maine River Guides

Beulah Rods

Rhody Fly Rodders

Vedavoo

Hatch Reels

UFTRI – United Fly Tyers of Rhode Island

Ted Patlin

Sweet Grass

Jerry Kustich

Mike Rice – Mud Dog Flies

Nautilus Reels

Jaime Boyle - Boylermaker Charters

Bob Lamson

Airflo Lines

ECHO Rods

Bauer Reels

HMH Vises

T.U. Boston

Scott Rods

Thomas & Thomas Rods

Fred Krowchenko

Justin Sterner

Scientific Anglers

Winston Rods

Simms

Waterworks Lamson

Smith Action Optics

Brad Gage

Umpqua

RIO Fly Lines

Sage

Redington

Tibor Reels

Buff

Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition

Fly Fishing Federation

Crossroad Anglers

John Shaner

Pat Cohen

Richie Tilman

Harrison Brothers

Joe Calcaveccia

Mystic Rods

G. Loomis

Bob Greco

Thomas Baranowski

Cheeky Fly Reels

Page Rogers

Jerry Jahn

United Fly Tyers MA

Spirit River

Mike Brucato

Temple Fork Outfitters

Royal Wulff

Dick Brown

Cape Cod Fly Rodders

Joe Cordeiro

Zack Anderson

Jonny King

Dave Flint

Dave Cornell

Dick Kondak

Steve Cook

Bill Wilbur

South Eastern MA TU

Dale Matthews

Stripers Forever

Shawn Britton

Kristen Mustad - owner of Nautilus

Bob Mead

February 20, 2016 11am-6pm

FREE ENTRANCE

Food available to purchase @ the shop! (mexican + american)Show at the SHOP; Parking at the HOLIDAY INN

No Parking at the store, but there is a FREE shuttle running from the Holiday Inn to the shop non-stop all day. Please don't jeopardize our future shows. There is no parking in or around the shop lot (not at our neighbors either please!!). PLEASE use our free shuttle to access the show!

Thanks to the support of so many companies for helping out with the raffles!

Authors

John Field Author of Fly-Casting Finesse“John Field is a freelance member of the angling media, conservationist and fly-casting instructor. John has spent extensive time exploring the waters of the Northwest Territories in Canada with Canadian Sportfishing Magazine and the Amazonas in Venezuela and elsewhere, while working for Larry Dahlberg Productions. He has decades of experience flats fishing the Florida Keys and striped bass fishing in the Northeast. John also makes regular trips to fish in the Balkans of Europe and the Yellowstone region. He is past-president of the New York City Chapter of Trout Unlimited and past president of the American Casting Association. John is an IFFF Certified Master Casting Instructor and author of the book; Fly-Casting Finesse- A Complete Guide to Improving All Aspects of Your Casting, Skyhorse Publishing, 2014. John’s feature articles have been published in Fly Fisherman Magazine and many others and he has contributed to several books by other authors. John filmed and co-produced Hunt for Big Fish, which has aired on ESPN and other cable networks. John and his family live in Weston, Connecticut.”

Rich Strolis Author of Catching Shadows“ Rich Strolis started as a guide on the ever popular Farmington and Housatonic Rivers in Connecticut. He later transitioned his work to commercial tying, speaking engagements and teaching many facets of both flyfishing and flytying across the Northeast and Eastern seaboard. His fly patterns although based out of the Northeast, have a strong following and relevancy across the globe and have been tied and fished by many as a result of his library of online videos. He is a signature tyer for the Montana Fly Company, which currently produces twenty two of his patterns. His patterns have appeared in several national magazines and books, including Flyfisherman, Eastern Fly Fishing and many more. He lives in Simsbury, Connecticut, with his wife, Megan, and two daughters, Tessa and Nora. You can follow his work at his website, www.catching-shadows.com. His highly anticipated first book, Catching Shadows: Tying Flies For The Toughest Fish and Strategies for Fishing Them from Stackpole Books is slated to release on January 1, 2016.

Fly Tyers

Tommy Baranowski
My name is Tommy Baranowski I'm 30 years old and live in Collinsville Connecticut right on banks of the Farmington river. I've been fishing for most of my life and spent most of my time fishing with my father, who is an inspiring outdoorsman , on the Farmington and on Lake Ontario. In my late teens a close friend took me out and put a fly rod in my hand and it was all downhill from there. I've been tying flies for close to 10 years and have co-operated a guide service CTfishguides for around 6 years on the Farmington river. Although most of my time is spent on the Farmington chasing Browns, my favorite aspect of fishing is the adventure and putting a backpack on and disappearing miles into the woods to catch brook trout is something that will never get old to me. Swinging for steelhead, throwing
big flies for pike, chasing false albacore, and rowing my drift boat take up the rest of the time! I've been involved with the Boy Scouts for most of my life and made Eagle Scout in my teens, in doing so conservation was instilled in me and I continue those ideals as Vice President and environmental director of the Farmington river anglers association or FRAA.

Shawn Britton
Shawn F. Britton is a Regal Pro Staff Fly Tyer, Commercial Tier & Guide affiliate with Flymen Fishing co., published artist and freelance outdoor writer. He has been fishing Connecticut and New Waters since his youth. He started guiding in the early 1990’s and still enjoys guiding, fishing, and kayaking his area waters. His weekend antiques shop is home for the guide service, his artwork, fly tying classes, fly design/sales, etc. A Connecticut licensed guide now also offering instruction/fishing from the Jackson kayaks as well as wade trips for all species on the premier rivers, lakes and ponds in Northwestern CT. If you are in the area, stop on in and say hello !

Dick Brown
Dick is an innovative fly designer, tier, and authority on bonefish and permit patterns. He has created several signature flats flies including the Beady Crab, the Hare Trigger, the Strip Tease, the Phantom Crab, Rocket Man Mantis, Slinky Toad, Dick’s Squilly, and the Simko. He is also one of the foremost authorities on bonefish fly patterns and is the author of Bonefish Fly Patterns, 2nd Edition: Tying, Selecting, and Fishing All the Best Bonefish Flies from Today’s Best Tiers, with the most comprehensive collection of bonefish flies and tiers ever assembled in a single volume.
Dick is also the author of Fly Fishing for Bonefish, considered by many to be the bible on this great game fish, it has received high praise by reviewers, including Fly Fisherman’s John Randolph, who wrote of the first edition, “A classic … Dick Brown tells virtually everything a fly fisher needs to know about the sport … a superb book.”
Dick has stalked bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook, and other tropical saltwater species for over 40 years and he’s fished extensively for bones in the Bahamas, Caribbean, Pacific, South America, and Florida Keys. His articles have appeared in Fly Fisherman, American Angler, Fly Fishing in Saltwaters, and he is a regular contributor to Fly Tyer.
Learn more at: www.dickbrownbonefishing.com

Michael Brucato
Tier, Presenter & Soft-hackle fly addict.
While my family and I currently reside in Massachusetts, I grew up trout fishing with my father at a young age in both New Jersey and Rhode Island.
During my many fishing adventures in various locations I have learned from experience just how productive and enjoyable soft-hackle wet flies are when trout fishing.
I must admit, that I never get tired of seeing the expression on people’s faces or hearing the stories of how one of my hand tied soft-hackle flies helped a fisherman to fool a trout. Fish my soft-hackled wet flies with confidence and hold on as the strike is often vicious…

Joe Calcavecchia
Joe Calcavecchia is a production tier, a saltwater master fly tier, and the creator of many splendid fly patterns such as the Striper Dragon and the Bonita Bear. He has been tying commercially for the past twenty-five years for fly shops in the New England region. He is also a fly designer for Spirit River. He is a master teacher in fly tying and instructs students with a jovial manner that is always infectious to everyone in attendance. Joe has taken part in many fishing Expos where he has been presented as a premier fly tier.

Joe Cordiero
Fly Tying is not just a hobby for this man it is a passion. Joe Cordeiro has been tying flies for over 25 years. The past 10 years focusing on teaching, presenting at shows and marketing salt water flies. Joe has been fishing his entire life growing up near Cape Cod. Fly-fishing has been his main focus for many years His salt-water fly patterns have been tested in waters for their imitation to the bait they mimic. Many of his patterns are lifelike imitations. The materials used are natural and add to the authenticity of the product. Joe’s style and tying technique have caught the attention and admiration of many seasoned fly tiers and his passion for the art is evident.

Armand J. Courchaine Armand J. Courchaine born in Fall River, MA. Life long fly tyer, fly fisherman, photographer and instructor currently residing in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Life member of United Fly Tyers, Rhody Fly Rodders. Founder of Crossroads Anglers.
At nine years old, while looking through the window of E.F. Cornell Sporting Goods Store. Armand was approached by the owner and asked if he had a job such as selling newspapers. The answer was no. Mr. Cornell than ask if he would like the opportunity to make money. Armand, asked “Doing what?” The owner said “Tying flies?” Armand’s reply “Do you hold them by the wings?” Thus was the beginning of Armand’s career of tying flies commercially.
1980 He wrote a column called “Fishing Time” for Somerset Spectator which was a weekly newspaper until 1996. He wrote articles for My Father’s Canoe, New England Fisherman, and On the Water Magazine. A member of New England Outdoor Writers from 1980 to 2004.
1997, Armand Courchaine received the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award” by United Fly Tyers and Federation of Fly Fishers.
Armand’s Fly Patterns have appeared; Ken Bay’s book, Salt water Flies, Jack Gartside’s Salt Water Patterns; Dick Surette, Fly Tyer; Ray Bondorew’s Stripers and Streamers; Lefty Kreh’ Salt Water Flies; Angelo Peluso’s Saltwater Flies of the Northeast. Peter Nielsen’s Rhody Fly Rodders, 50 Years.
Armand shares his tying experience with monthly classes at United Fly Tyers, New England Fly Tyers, Crossroads Anglers and Rhody Fly Rodders. He is past president of United Fly Tyers, the oldest fly tying organization in America. Also Past president of Rhody Fly Rodders, the oldest saltwater fly fishing organization in America. In November 2013 Armand completed his first book entitled “Bugs over Bass”, A book on tying bugs with deer body hair. He has tied for sixty years.

Pat Cohen My name is Pat Cohen. I live in upstate New York where there is an abundance of warm water streams, lakes, and farm ponds to fish; although most anything with gills is fair game. I was always a terrible fisherman with spin and casting gear, but I began fly fishing in 2008 and since then I have caught more fish than I can count. I have been tying flies since January of 2009. Fly fishing and tying have become an essential part of my life.
I specialize in deer hair bass bugs, but I tie everything from streamers to nymphs. The artistic freedom that fly tying offers is what drew me to it. All of my flies are meant to be fished with the exception of the display offerings. Every piece of each bug - be it the hair, feathers, or weed guards - has a purpose. The final product is a fish catching fly and a miniature sculpture all in one. To my way of thinking, there is nothing like watching a five pound bucketmouth or an 18 inch smallie erupting from the water to crush one of my bugs as it's drawn across the surface.

Dave FlintI grew up fishing the small streams of Mass, and upper New England. Our family would go tenting each year in Maine and New Hampshire. As my brother was climbing mountains, you’d find me hopping rocks along the mountain streams with fishing gear. I’ve been fishing since I was a young kid but didn’t start fly fishing until I was about the age of 13.
My first fly fishing experience was in the early 70’s on the Roach River in Maine. Our family tented each year in the area and I became friends with the local camp owner in Kokadjo. One morning I watched him fly fishing, carefully maneuvering a fly in and around the currents. After successfully catching a few fish he handed me the rod and said,” give it a try”. He showed me the type of fly he used and how to fish it. I followed his instructions and soon felt a sharp tug. Before I knew it, the line was screaming off the reel – this was no small brook trout! After a couple of leaps and with help from my new friend, my prize was brought to net. Not only had I caught my first Salmon but it was also my first time fly fishing. The following spring I spent all of my time hopping rocks in the clear mountain streams, learning to read the water. Armed with my new fly rod, I’d dip flies in the small pools; sometimes missing a rock along the way and putting myself in the pool instead. Since then I’ve been a hopeless fanatic about the sport.
I started dressing flies in the 80’s after joining a local club; the New England Fly Tyers.
Through the years I’ve contributed flies for the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (receiving certificate of Master Flytyer), Miramichi salmon Association, Wounded Warriors project,
and the NEFT Youth Outreach, among others. I’ve also supplied flies for some well known books such as Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials Vol. 1 & 2, Forgotten Flies and The Art of Angling Journals, along with Bonefish Fly Patterns. It’s a joy tying/demonstrating at local shows/events, passing on my experiences and expertise to others. I’ve also taught at local clubs, NEFT and co-produced the NEFT Video Manual of Fly Tying.
All flies are a joy to dress but my favorites are Atlantic salmon flies, soft hackles and streamers run close seconds. Since then my passion for fly dressing has become a full-blown obsession. I’ve dressed almost every type of pattern there is, started my company Misty Morning Flies, and done everything from commercial fly tying for noted New England shops, to selling custom framed artwork with display flys.
These days my focus leans toward designing specialty framed art pieces for people, dressing and fishing full dressed salmon flies, and working new ideas into old world proven patterns.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the most important person in the world to me, my lovely wife and partner, Jean. Her encouragement, enthusiasm and patience with my obsession (even when I track feather through the house) are undying. She truly is an angel.
I’ve also had the good fortune to know Bill Wilbur, one of New England’s best salmon fly designers/tiers. He’s been an influential mentor and good friend for many years. I’m grateful for his expertise, guidance and friendship. (Thanks Bill).
Share your knowledge and experiences with others, so they may enjoy them also. Especially share with the children, for they are the sportsmen of tomorrow.

Jonny King Jonny King has been tying freshwater flies for nearly 30 years and started tying for saltwater in about 1990. He has fly fished throughout the United States and in Canada, Central America, South America and the Carribean, and has caught all the major freshwater and inshore saltwater species. His favorite fish and locations are the rainbow and brown trout of the Delaware River system in the Castkills and the stripers of Cape Cod Bay and New York Harbor. He taught himself to tie as a young teenager reading Poul Jorgenson's instructional books, and has tied for virtually every kind of fly fishing -- tiny dry flies, bass bugs, steelhead patterns, Northeastern striper flies, tuna flies, and flats patterns for bones, tarpon, permit and snook. He has many tying influences in both the freshwater and saltwater world, but especially acknowledges Bob Popovics, who has shared so much insight into saltwater flies and bait with Jonny and introduced him to Tuffleye, which has reignited his interest in epoxy style flies. When not fishing, Jonny is an intellectual property trial lawyer in New York City and a professional jazz pianist who has toured througout the world and has three CDs as a leader to his credit.

Rob Lewis Rob is a professional fly tier, river guide, lecturer and fly tying instructor. He is one of the foremost fly pattern designers in the country and his Realistic Series has been touted as the future of fly design. He has been featured in magazines such as Fish & Fly, Fly Fishing New England and Fly Tyer.
While Rob describes himself as “a pair of pants away from a caveman”, the best description was written by one of the hundreds of clients Rob has guided on rivers for trout in Montana and New York

Bob Mead Bob Mead of Scotia New York has been tying realistic flies since 1966. The Praying Mantis, Walking Stick, and Water Scorpion are just 3 of many unusual patterns he originated and have been published along with articles and interviews in books, magazines, and newspapers around the world. Recently he was sought out to tie two realistic black widow spiders as props for the TV show Royal Pains.

Rich Murphy Rich Murphy is a Professional Civil Engineer in Massachusetts, a published author, a professional fly designer, a salt water fly fishing junky, and a pretty good husband to a lovely wife.
Murphy taught himself to fly cast and tie simple fresh water flies over the winter of his eighth year. He caught his first trout on a fly that next spring using a mayfly spinner pattern copied from an old Field and Stream.
He started tying saltwater flies commercially over 20 years ago. In the winter of 1995, Murphy entered a fly designing contract with Umpqua Feather Merchants. To date, Umpqua has accepted eight of his fly patterns for their catalog: the Conomo Special, Steep Hill Special, RM Shortfin Squid, RM Flatside, RM Needlefish, RM Rattlesnake, RM Spitfire and the Pamet Special.
Murphy has written feature articles for fly fishing periodicals that include Saltwater Flyfishing, Fish and Fly Magazine , and Fly Tyer . His first book, Fly Fishing for Striped Bass, went to print in July 2007, and is presently available in most major retail and internet book retail outlets.He lives in Georgetown, Massachusetts, with Lucy, his wife and most cogent critic, and their faithful bad dog, Tahoe.

David Nelson
I live near Kensico Reservoir in White Plains, NY with my wonderful wife three children, who are up-and-coming fly-tiers in their own right. I grew up in Manhattan and Westchester, and spent many summers fishing in Mahopac, NY, and Lake Sunapee, NH. I have spent time in Arcata, CA, as well as Big Pine Key, FL, and Brazil.
My grandmother instilled in me a deep love for the outdoors from a young age, and when I was five-years-old, my uncle taught me how to fish--although he'll tell you he "just brought me to the water." My passion for fishing quickly emerged, and ever since I have seldom been found without a fishing rod. To this day, my family recalls how I would fish whenever or wherever I could, or even "cast into a puddle," and somehow have the best luck of anyone they had even known. I started fly-fishing at age 26, and complete and total immersion into this new world was rapid, and I have focused on it ever since. Given my fishing prowess with bait and spin gear, the transition to the fly was enjoyable, and I found success in a relatively short time.

Bill Newcomb When Bill was born, he was very young so he doesn’t remember much of the event. But he absolutely recalls fishing the streams near his boyhood home. As time passed, he graduated from school and joined the Navy, and continued to fish up and down the Eastern Seaboard, the Northern Atlantic and the Caribbean. When he discovered flyfishing, the sanity men seek in life disappeared. Along with flyfishing, of course, comes flytying. On a fishing trip for salmon, he spent $20 on six flies. After seeing his friend tie a fly, he realized he could have saved that amount by tying his own. Over the years, he’s figured he spent $40,000 trying to get that $20 back. You’ll see Bill at the fishing shows. He enjoys meeting new people, swapping lies, and stealing their patterns and claiming them as his own. Unlike many of the other tyers, Bill IS a legend in his own mind.
Bill is a member of Trout Unlimited and the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild, and he believes in passing on this time-honored tradition to a new generation of flyfishers and tyers. So when you come to the shows, look for him. You’ll know it’s him … because he looks just like his picture.

Ted Patlen Winner of seven fly-tying world championships, has demonstrated at fly-fishing venues from the rocky shores of the Pacific coast, across the states as well as Canada, from a 12th century convent in Italy, north to Scandinavia, to the heart of Great Britain……as well as on a hot dusty parking lot in Roscoe, New York.

Leon Piasecki Leon ties a number of effective streamer patterns for bass, blues and especially the growing northeast bluefin tuna fishery using both traditional and modern synthetic materials. He ties a variety of flies of his own design as well as variations of established patterns. He works with several prominent local guides to continually improve the effectiveness of his patterns.
Leon has shared his knowledge and skills by offering fly tying classes and demonstrations at the United Fly Tiers monthly meetings and other local venues. Most recently, Leon demonstrated his flies at the International Fly Tying Symposium in Somerset NJ.
Leon lives in Massachusetts and spends as much time on the water around Cape Cod as time allows.

Mike RiceMike has two passions in his life, his daughter and chasing anything that swims in saltwater! Mike came to fly fishing later in life, but has made up for it in bounds and now has an wildly successful fly tying business and continues to create flies for the men and women who follow his passion as strongly as Mike does.

Page Rogers Page began fly fishing at the age of 8 on the tiny streams of central Connecticut under the watchful eye of her Dad. She landed her first trout a little over a year later on the Couginchaug River. While in her teens she and her father began to pursue stripers and blues on the fly in the waters around Martha’s Vineyard and Long Island Sound. Completely self-taught, she began fly tying in the the early 1980’s and soon was creating her own patterns to match the sand eels and silversides common in the waters of southern New England. In 1994 she became the first woman tier signed by UMPQUA Feather Merchants into their royalty fly tier program. In 1995 she received the Harry & Elsie Darbee Award from IFFF. Her flies and techniques are documented in numerous books, articles and videos (Hooked on a Fly Tying series). Her flies are commercially produced by Umpqua Feather Merchants, and are available, or can be ordered, at any UMPQUA dealer.
Page continues to enjoy tying at fly fishing trade shows and at club meetings, and sharing her knowledge of saltwater fly fishing on the east coast. She currently is on the Pro-Staff at: Abel, Tibor, Patagonia, Simms, Action Optics, LL Bean, Ross and Scientific Anglers.

Rich Strolis Rich Strolis started as a guide on the ever popular Farmington and Housatonic Rivers in Connecticut. He later transitioned his work to commercial tying, speaking engagements and teaching many facets of both flyfishing and flytying across the Northeast and Eastern seaboard. His fly patterns although based out of the Northeast, have a strong following and relevancy across the globe and have been tied and fished by many as a result of his library of online videos. He is a signature tyer for the Montana Fly Company, which currently produces twenty two of his patterns. His patterns have appeared in several national magazines and books, including Flyfisherman, Eastern Fly Fishing and many more. He lives in Simsbury, Connecticut, with his wife, Megan, and two daughters, Tessa and Nora. You can follow his work at his website, www.catching-shadows.com. His highly anticipated first book, Catching Shadows: Tying Flies For The Toughest Fish and Strategies for Fishing Them from Stackpole Books is slated to release on January 1, 2016.

Richie Tillman I started tying at the age of 5 with my Dad’s old vise and tying materials. Then that Christmas I got a fly tying kit from my Dad and my Great Uncle and card saying that on my birthday of that year he would teach me how to tye , and then we would go to his brother in laws who raised trout for the State of Maryland and after we would go trout fishing. After surgery for a malignant brain tumor in the spring of 1983 I got back to the vice, still doing some trout patterns once I completed high school It was off to college up, Until this point I did not fly fish but I could tye . It was at this point I discovered a small fly shop in town a short walk from college. There I was asked to start tying for the shop. Then I got a call from a friend saying,” would I like to take a Fly Tying class with him at a local Fly shop”. I said” sure”. The next evening he picked me up from school and we proceeded to drive to the very same shop I was tying for and as soon as I walked in the door the owner of the shop spoke up and said I didn’t need to learn how to tye but I sat through helping my friends until it came to tying Lefty’s Deceiver. This was a pattern I had heard about and very much wanted to learn because it was a saltwater pattern. From that point on I never looked back I wanted to learn as many saltwater patterns as possible from then on all I wanted to tye was saltwater flies . Now I tye flies for Bonefish, to Sharks and Billfish. East Coast, to West Coast, to around the world.

Bill Wilbur I’ve been making flies for over 55 years, from midge trout flies to sailfish and marlin flies.
But my specialty is Atlantic salmon flies. My greatest pattern design for Atlantic salmon has been the “Green Machine” Probable my next greatest pattern would be the “Pearl Herron” spey fly. I’ve tied flies for Ducks Unlimited, Basin Mills, Miramichi Salmon Association and North Atlantic Salmon Fund. From the North Atlantic Salmon Fund I received a certificate of Master Fly Tyer.